Yet I too often live as if my self-effort is required to make up for past struggles and efforts. Dave Burchett wrote that redemption: “is the truth I have to remind myself just about every day. Perhaps 'redeemed' is the best way to describe how God sees us. The pain and consequential suffering in this world are unavoidable, but never trump God’s desire and ability to work all things for our good. All-knowing, just and perfect, His will for our lives reflects the loving Father that He is. We’re built to seek and live life in communion with Him and are called to fulfill a unique purpose. Being made in His image explains our innate desire for something more than ourselves. We are woven into the tapestry of all He has created. What does the Bible say about my identity? God, who spoke the world into existence, wants to talk to us. But the Hebrew would be pronounced something like ‘Yahweh,’ (or the short form Yah, which you hear every time you sing ‘hallelu-jah,’ ‘praise Yahweh’), or every time you see ‘Lord’ in the English Bible you should think: This is a proper name (like Peter or James or John) built out of the word for ‘I Am’ and reminding us each time that God absolutely is.” John Piper emphatically stated, “It’s almost always translated ‘LORD’ (all caps) in the English Bible. Once we understand who He is, the utterance of His spoken name carries the proper weight of significance. John Piper wrote, “Nothing is more basic and nothing is more ultimate than the fact that God is.” Love, justice, righteousness, forgiveness, and wisdom contribute to His character. Sovereign and omnipotent, He is all-knowing and in control.

The three things God says about Himself in Exodus 3:13-15 are: Our Father and Creator, well aware of who we are , desires a genuine and personal relationship with us. The Prodigal Son’s story highlights God’s great love for us alongside the choice to receive it.

What does the Bible say about God? To know who God says we are, we must first understand who He is. Greg Morse wrote beautifully of the prodigal’s return: “The wayward son braces himself for a slap but receives an embrace.” God says we are:įor more verses on God’s love, click here. His only Son, Jesus, died sacrificially to leave heaven’s door swung wide open eternally. Although He knew we would forever fall short, He chooses to love us without end. Like the father who chose to welcome his son home despite the son’s mistakes, God so welcomes us. The story of the Prodigal Son spotlights God’s love for us.

Who are we